December 1, 2014

Lolita Taub at Web Wednesday Hong Kong (V92)

Join us on Wednesday 3rd December for an impromptu gathering with Lolita Taub, who left her cushy software sales job at IBM USA, to travel the world in search of fellow female entrepreneurs.


By the time that Lolita reaches our shores, she will have interviewed 20 female entrepreneurs in 7 countries for her YouTube channel, "The #F Show". We're looking forward to hearing the inside story of a new tribe that she calls, "female millennial future entrepreneurs", or "femfupreneurs" for short! You can find Lolita on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.


Doors open at 6:30pm on Wednesday 3rd December at Club 18, 18 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central. All types welcome, especially those who fancy themselves as female entrepreneurs or eager mentors.

You can turn up on the night or, if you want to see who else is coming...sign up via Facebook or MeetUp.

The entrance fee of HK$100 includes a complimentary drink and the chance to rub shoulders with the future (and current) moves and groovers in the tech start-up and digital media industries in Hong Kong.

Who knows? If you're a true "go-getter", Lolita might even want to interview you for her show.

Come disrupt and release your inner geek!

November 7, 2014

BarcampHK is back!

Hong Kong's biggest user-generated unconference is back on 15th November at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in Shatin, New Territories.


Started back in December 2007 by Angus Lau, Steve Fleischer, Napoleon Biggs, Aaron Farr, Marcel Ekkel, Mikael Öhrén and Ben Lee with the first gathering in the Yahoo! offices in Causeway Bay, the event has now grown to over 600 local geeks, entrepreneurs, activists, artists, social commentators and thinkers who come together for one day to share their passion and tech knowledge in a relaxed, multi-lingual atmosphere.

Find info about past BarcampHK events on this blog (not all, unfortunately), the Wiki page and Flickr (2007 and 2008 and others). Find barcamp on Facebook and Twitter.

A GIANT SHOUT-OUT to Ben Lee and Belle Liu who make this event such as success every year.

If you're curious to learn more about the grass-roots of tech creativity in Hong Kong, put aside all your weekend obligations and head over to the Esther Lee Building at the Chinese University of Hong Kong on Saturday 15th November, 2014.

Register only at barcamp.hk and get your hands on a free lunch, stickers, freebies, beer and more!!

The agenda is loose, like all good "un-conferences" but here is a structure that you can work to.



October 30, 2014

Youbibi at Web Wednesday Hong Kong (V91)

Mark your diaries for our next social mixer on 12th November at Club 18, 18 Lyndhurst Terrace.

A premium event during StartMeUpHK Venture Programme, run by InvestHK. Follow @startmeuphk on Twitter or Facebook. Find InvestHK on LinkedIn and Flickr.

Will be talking online travel with Steven Pang, CEO of Youbibi (游比比网), a leading travel comparison website in China, which he built with a foot in Hong Kong and the other in Shenzhen and just sold to SkyScanner from Scotland! Find Youbibi on Weibo.


Doors open at 6:30pm for high quality networking, interview from 7:15pm to 8:30pm, including questions to the floor. Doors close at 9:30pm (for some of us!).

Venue: Club 18, 18 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, Hong Kong.  HK$100 entrance fee, includes a complimentary drink. (HK$50 for students, without drink sorry).

Sign up on Facebook or MeetUp.

October 12, 2014

Zendesk at Web Wednesday Hong Kong (V90)

For our 90th social mixer on Wednesday 22nd October 2014, the topic is "excellent customer service" with a pioneer in this space, Zendesk. [Follow them on Twitter, Facebook or Google Plus].


Our guest speaker is Michael Hansen, who came to Hong Kong penniless but passionate in 2007. From here, he evangelised Zendesk, a new venture from Copenhagen that was out to "disrupt" the way companies manage customer service.

Described by his CEO as “the big-hearted, big-mouthed so called king of Denmark”, Michael will talk about his many journeys with Zendesk, from home office in Hong Kong to building global teams with a customer centric culture, and to the recent successful IPO on NYSE.

In the first day of trading, the stock leapt 27% valuing the company at close to USD 1 billion!

Michael is an IT sales veteran with more than 25 years' experience in a variety of sales and marketing roles, spanning the US, Europe, Asia, and Australia. In 2007, Michael became Zendesk's first 'employee', leaving his executive role behind to begin his entrepreneurial journey - working without a salary for his first two years.

NEW VENUE: Orange Peel, Flat A-C, 2/F, Ho Lee Comm Bldg, 38-44 D'Aguilar Street, LKF, Central. Find your way on Google Maps.

On Wednesday 22nd October, the doors open at 6:30pm and close at 9:30pm, with the talk kicking off at 7:15pm. HK$100 entrance fee, includes one complimentary drink and the chance to mix with the Asian Digerati.

Sign up on Facebook or MeetUp. Be a faithful follower and spread the word far and wide!

Podcast: FireChat talks "off-the-grid" messaging with Occupy Central

If you were too busy protesting on the streets of Hong Kong, here is the podcast of our "fireside chat" with Micha Benoliel, Co-founder of Open Garden who created the peer-to-peer messaging app, FireChat, that was downloaded 500,000 times during the first week of "Occupy Central with Love and Peace" (佔領中環 or 佔中), a civil disobedience campaign more recently coined as the "Umbrella Revolution".



Thanks again to the Internet Society of Hong Kong for the introduction to Micha and to Orange Peelfor providing a last-minute venue with a stage and cosy chairs.

October 6, 2014

FireChat at Web Wednesday Hong Kong (V89)

Venue confirmed for tomorrow's impromptu and highly timely gathering with FireChat co-founder, Micha Benoliel. Follow Micha's recent posts about the Hong Kong protests on Twitter and Instagram, with links to all his social media channels on About.me.



Open Garden is the developer of FireChat, the first off-the-grid messaging app, leveraging peer-to-per mesh networking. News sources state that in a 24-hour period over 100,000 people downloaded FireChat during the Hong Kong #occupycentral #umbrellarevolution demonstrations.

Micha founded Open Garden to make wireless broadband Internet access ubiquitous and deliver a technology for the preservation of Net Neutrality.

Micha also launched Skype In and Skype Out in several European countries so knows his stuff!

NOTE NEW VENUE: Orange Peel, Flat A-C, 2/F, Ho Lee Comm Bldg, 38-44 D'Aguilar Street, Central. Doors open at 6:30pm with the interview at 7:15ish. HK$100 entrance fee, includes one complimentary drink.

Many thanks to Ping Wong and the good folk at Internet Society Hong Kong (ISOC HK) for their introduction.



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Admirality, Occupy Central

Podcast: iDreamSky at Web Wednesday (V88)

Returning from a highly successful IPO listing on NASDAQ, Jeff Lyndon joined us at our most recent Web Wednesday gathering to share his experience localising and publishing mobile games in China. His honesty was refreshing and a lesson for many entrepreneurs who get caught up in inflated PR!




Special thanks to the team at Radio Chinwag for mastering the recording.

September 25, 2014

Photos of iDreamSky at Web Wednesday

Good crowd - good chat at last night's 88th Web Wednesday with iDreamSky about mobile gaming in China.  See the photos on Flickr (sample screenshot below)for yourself!

Asian Digerati networking at Web Wednesday

Thanks to Bronney.com for capturing the moment.

September 23, 2014

iDreamSky at Web Wednesday Hong Kong (V88)

It's China Internet IPO time!

So we've invited Jeff Lyndon, former game champion and now Co-founder and President of iDreamSky (乐豆游戏), China's leading independent mobile game publisher, to speak at our 88th Web Wednesday gathering in Hong Kong.


Jeff has recently returned from a successful IPO listing on NASDAQ where they raised US$115M, so will share his story of a Hong Kong entrepreneur helping a Chinese game company to list in the most competitive tech market in the US. Oh yes...we'll also talk plenty about how to design, develop and distribute great mobile games in China.


You can find Jeff on LinkedIn, Twitter and read his favourite clippings on Paper.li.

As for iDreamSky, they are very active on Chinese social media and you can find them on Sina Weibo (303K fans) and Tencent Weibo (17K fans) as well as Facebook (165 likes) and Twitter (25 followers). From these numbers alone, you can see that China is their core market!



Some statistics on their business:

  •  98.3 million active monthly users as of March 31, 2014
  • 40 games but 85% of revenues comes form top three games, “Temple Run” series, “Fruit Ninja” and “Subway Surfers.”
  • Temple Run 2 attracted 30.8 million active users and 10.3 million average daily active users in March this year.
  • Revenue climbed to $40.7 million in 2013, from $3.1 million in 2012, and to $28.0 million in the first three months of this year. It swung to a profit of $5.4 million in 2013, from a loss of $1.5 million in 2012. It earned $5.3 million in the first quarter of 2014. 
And they're obviously continuing in a long line of game developers and publishers by appealing to their male dominated audiences with old fashioned marketing tactics, namely "booth babes"1


Listen to Jeff explain the China market for overseas game developers in the interview below.



Come here the man in person at Web Wednesday Hong Kong on 24th September at Club 18, 18 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central. Doors open at 6:30pm with the interview at 7:15pm.

Entrance Fee: HK$100 (includes complimentary drink), HK$50 for students (with proof, fresh from Occupy Central!)

We'll be giving out iDreamSky goodies so spread the word far and wide!

Find out who else is coming via the event invite on Facebook or MeetUp.

August 10, 2014

Podcast: Uber at Web Wednesday (V87)

Uber is the talk of the town! Our last social mixer (Web Wednesday Version 87) attracted over 150 people from all walks of the internet, see the photos on Flickr.

Thanks to Sam Gellman, Head of Growth for Uber in Asia, for sharing the story of Uber and how he has helped launch this disruptive new transport service in London, Stockholm, Shanghai, Singapore and, now, Hong Kong. If you missed the event, listen to the podcast below.

podcast - S4BB and SkyDrone at Web Wednesday (V86)

Thanks to Patrick Kosiol for taking the "hot-seat" on a last minute request at our 86th Web Wednesday social mixer on 23rd July, 2014. Listen to his experience as a serial mobile app entrepreneur under S4BB and co-founder of a new flying camera, SkyDrone.


August 4, 2014

Thingful - Search Engine for Internet of Things

Thanks to the BBC Click podcast, I learnt about thingful.net - a search engine for the pubic internet of things ("IoT"). Find them Twitter (@thingful) and use your own Twitter account to sign up and track your favourite IoTs.

Here is a map of all the odd things that are publicly connected to the internet in Hong Kong, from weather and pollution tracking hardware to ships and Raspberry Pies.

July 29, 2014

Uber at Web Wednesday Hong Kong (V87)

Having run a "soft launch" during the Rugby Sevens earlier this year, Uber has officially launched in Hong Kong this June. They are offering members of Web Wednesday HK$100 off for the first booking. Sign up via this special link.


Essentially a private car service managed conveniently from a mobile app, Uber is here to disrupt the closed nature of this city's taxi services. Their base fare is HK $35 + HK$9.32 per kilometer (or HK$2.00 per minute if stuck in traffic or waiting). There is a minimum fee of HK$50 and a cancellation fee of HK$30. A private limousine from Hong Kong Island to the Airport costs H$600. You're gonna want to spoil yourself for those prices!

Originating in San Francisco in 2009, Uber has entered more than 60 markets worldwide. A June 2014 round of funding placed the company's value at an estimated US$18.2 billion.

They've started the PR machine by tapping into actor Carl Ng and socialite Amanda Strang, who took black "secret Uber" sedans during the launch. Read the article in the South China Morning Post.


Join fellow internet entrepreneurs and digital media executives as we invite Sam Gellman, the head of growth for Uber Asia, to take the hot seat at Web Wednesday Asia on 6th August, 2014 from 6:30pm - 9:30pm at Club 18, 18-20 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, Hong Kong. Entrance fee of HK$100 gets you a complimentary drink and the chance to network with Hong Kong's startup community and digital media executives.

Sign up via Facebook or MeetUp.


Spread the word as Uber will be giving away special benefits that night for all attendees. Follow Uber HK on Twitter (@uber-hk)

ClickZ Live Hong Kong - Member Discount


June 23, 2014

Podcast: SmartBuyGlasses Spills the Secrets of Successful eCommerce

What a fab Web Wednesday social mixer we had this month! An honest speaker with a good story to share, a live auction for designer sun glasses and loads of laughs! If you missed the occasion, you can capture the gist of it by listening to this podcast of the interview with David Menning, Co-Founder and CEO of SmartBuyGlasses.


June 9, 2014

Podcast: StyleByAsia talks Culture Curation

Listen to Sandra Smedhall tell us about her new start-up, StyleByAsia. Recorded at Web Wednesday Hong Kong on 7th May, 2014. [Apologies for the slightly mad intro, but I had to involve the dowser in the conversation].



Sandra's team also filmed the interview, an edited version of which they posted to the Style By Asia channel on YouTube.

June 6, 2014

SmartBuyGlasses at Web Wednesday HK (V85)

Come join the Asian Digerati for our 85th social mixer!

We've invited David Menning, Founder and CEO of SmartBuyGlasses, one of the world's leading online designer eyewear retailers with operations in the US, Canada and Italy. Naturally, they are all over the social media - find them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube.

David will share the story of how he started his business from his bedroom in Sydney with one partner in Stockholm and the other in Shanghai, and how they grew into an ecommerce empire of:

+ 40 websites in 15 different languages
+ Attracting over 30 million visitors per year
+ Selling over 100,000 glasses online across 180 brands.. the world's largest range
+ 160 staff across EU, APAC, Americas


Under their "buy one, give one" policy, the company has generously donated US$1.5M worth of prescription glasses to the third world. (This works out at 50,000 glasses donated).

In support of their charity, we will host a LIVE AUCTION that night for brand new designer glasses (sample sale).

Doors open at 6:30pm with the interview starting at 7:15pm on Wednesday 11th June, 2014 at Insiders - Hong Kong, 1/F, 17 Fenwick Street in Wanchai (Jaffe Road crossing).

Sign up via our groups on Facebook or Meetup.

The entrance fee of HK$100 includes a complimentary drink and the opportunity to mix with fellow entrepreneurs, masters of ecommerce, digital marketers, investors, bloggers and social media folk.

April 15, 2014

Style by Asia at Web Wednesday (V84)

Mark your diaries for our next social mixer on 7th May at Club 18 with Sandra Smedhall, Founder & Managing Director of Style by Asia.


Style by Asia is a web community based in Hong Kong, gathering individual bloggers who all are connected to the "style space" in one way or another; be it fashion, design (interior and industrial), architecture, photography, graphic design and all kinds of art - basically anything visual which serves as an inspiration to people! Follow them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Sign up on Facebook or MeetUp.

April 14, 2014

Silicon Dragon Breathes fire into Hong Kong's Startup Scene

For a third year in a row, Rebecca Fannin (@rfannin), author, journalist and interviewer of technology start-ups all across world, brings her conference for venture capitalists and budding entrepreneurs, "Silicon Dragon", to Hong Kong on April 15th, 2014 in Cyberport.

Web Wednesday members are begin offered 20% off the registration fee. When booking your tickets on Eventbrite here, don't forget to enter promo code, "SiliconDragonHKpartner", to enjoy the discount. It's worth it!


We were lucky enough to have Rebecca take the hot seat at a previous Web Wednesday gathering back in April last year. Listen to the full interview below:



Last year, I had the pleasure of interviewing the lovely Vicky Wu, Co-Founder of Zaozao, who then moved her business HQ to New York and is thriving in the Big Apple. She also graced the stage at Web Wednesday and you can hear the interview below:



This year, I will be interviewing Ilissa Howard, Co-founder of Milk and Honey Shoes, where women design their own stilettos and pumps with the click of a mouse. The are getting plenty of press and were recently covered in the New York Times.

You can find them on FacebookInstagram, Pinterest, Twitter and Google Plus. (No Chinese aspirations as yet!).

If you're still not convinced, here is the full rundown for the event this Tuesday...

Registration & Networking: 4PM

Welcome Remarks: 4:30PM
Rebecca Fannin, Founder/Author/Journalist, Silicon Dragon
Susie Ho, Permanent Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development (ICT)
Herman Lam, CEO, HK Cyberport

Keynote Talks: 4:45-5:15PM
Zach Smith, Founder, Makerbot, 3D printing, (New York, Shenzhen)
Ron Cao, Managing Partner, Lightspeed China, (investor in Bitcoin exchange BTC China), Beijing

Tech Chats: 5:15-6:15PM
Elsa Chan, Co-Founder, Jetlun, cleantech (Silicon Valley, Hong Kong)
Jonathan Buford, Founder, Makible, 3D printing (Hong Kong)
Rex Sham, Co-founder, Insight Robotics, robotics technology (Hong Kong, Pearl River Delta)
Patrick Leung, Co-founder, eNano Health, biomedical nanotechnology (Hong Kong)
Ilissa Howard, Co-founder, Milk and Honey Shoes, fashion (Hong Kong, global

VC / Dealmaker Panel: 6:30-7:30PM
Edith Yeung, Partner, Right Ventures  (Silicon Valley)
Jack Jia, Partner, GSR Ventures   (Silicon Valley, China)
Mae Wong, Venture Adviser, Focus Ventures  (Silicon Valley, China)
Cyril Ebersweiler, Venture Partner, SOS Ventures and founder, HAXLR8R  (Shenzhen, Bay Area)
Felix Lam, Managing Director, Red Chapel Advisors  (Hong Kong, Southeast Asia)
Patrick Loofbourrow, Partner, Cooley (China)
Tytus Michalski, Managing Director, Fresco Capital Advisors (Hong Kong, Silicon Valley)
Xing Liu, Managing Director, Sequoia Capital China (Hong Kong, China)

Cocktail reception, dinner and networking 7:30PM

Moderators: Casey Lau, StartupsHK; Egidio Zarrella, KPMG; Lawrence Morgan, Nest Investments; Napoleon Biggs, Bolei Digital / Web Wednesday; Rebecca Fannin, Silicon Dragon

March 28, 2014

Battle of the Apps VI - Hong Kong Startups

[NOTE: EVENT POSTPONED UNTIL 23RD JULY, 2014]

Calling all entr-app-reneurs!

As a continuation of our popular "Battle of the Apps" series, we are once again inviting app creators, developers and publishers to compete in a live contest in the heart of Hong Kong's entertainment area.

Networking will start at 6:30pm, with the battle from 7:15pm on 16th April 2014 [postponed to 23rd July, 2014] at Club 18, 18-20 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, Hong Kong.


All apps welcome, be it on iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows, Chrome or Symbian (TV, tablet or smartphone).

Submit your app via this web form.

Each contestant will have 5 minutes to present their creation, followed by questions from the floor. Due to time limitations, there will be a maximum of 10 contestants.

At the end of the evening, the audience will vote with their fingers (old fashioned, analogue stickers!).

The most popular app will win great prizes and a full interview slot at a future Web Wednesday Social Mixer with all the associated promotional benefits.

Sign up to see who else is coming via Facebook or MeetUp.

Do help spread the word so that we can attract a wide range of contestants. Use hashtag "#battleofapps".

Bring your game!(To borrow from the HK Rugby 7s which only has one app, "HK7sBestFan", created by Cathay Pacific).

March 25, 2014

Podcast - Bitcoin, Cryptomex and ANXBTC

Want to learn the real story behind Bitcoin and other crypto-currencies?

Listen to our podcast of the recent interview with two crypto-currency entrepreneurs:

Ken Lo, CEO of ANXBTC Bitcoin Exchange (Update: morphed into BC Technology Group) and Dave Shin, Founder of Cryptomex.

Hosted by Napoleon Biggs at Web Wednesday Hong Kong at Club 18, Central Hong Kong on 19th March, 2014. Multimedia editing by the talented folk at Radio Chinwag.


March 20, 2014

Photos of Bitcoin at Web Wednesday V83

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Bitcoin - Web Wednesday V83, a set on Flickr.

Crypto-currency conversations captured on camera! Can you locate yourself here?

March 9, 2014

Bitcoin at Web Wednesday (V83)

Now that the father of Bitcoin, Dorian Satoshi Nakamoto, has been unceremoniously uncovered - by Newsweek (re)print edition no less! - the time is ripe for us to look deeper into this crypto-currency craze.

Web Wednesday Asia has invited two Hong Kong entrepreneurs to explain how they plan to make real money from a budding virtual currency:

Dave Shin, Founder of Cryptomex, an ambitious alternative for raising company funds via IPOs (initial public offerings) traded in bitcoins.


In June 2013, Dave cut his teeth raising funds via a bitcoin-based equity campaign on a crowd funding platform called, Bitfunder (now closed down). Dave's startup, DigiMex, raised US$2.5 million worth of bitcoin in 7 days with over 300 bitcoin investors from across the globe. The money is being used to finance a publicly-owned, enterprise-scale, bitcoin mining operation, called "IceDrill". The story was covered on CNN.



Ken Lo, CEO of ANXBTC Bitcoin Exchange, a new marketplace for trading Bitcoins that has just opened it's own bitcoin retail trading store in Sai Ying Pun, West Hong Kong.

Their store opening was covered in Channel News Asia as per the clip below:



They're already building support via Twitter (@AsiaBitCoin) - nice name!, Facebook (@ANXBTC) and Weibo (@AsiaNextGen).


This event is sure to attract a wide range of people, from the startup world as well as the financial industry, so do come an join us for an invigorating evening about the future of digital currency.

Sign up via Facebook or MeetUp.

Doors open at 6:30pm with the interview starting at 7:15pm on Wednesday 19th March, 2014 at Club 18, 18-20 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, Hong Kong.

The entrance fee of HK$100 (or it's Bitcoin equivalent) includes a complimentary drink and the opportunity to mix with fellow entrepreneurs, social media types, investors, bloggers and digital media folk.

Glam-it! Podcast Live!

Did you miss our most recent interview with Jennifer Cheng, CEO of Chief Glam Girl of Glam-it!?

Thanks to the talented sound masters at Radio Chinwag, you can now listen to it below playing from the Web Wednesday channel on SoundCloud. Our podcasts have been listened to over 10,000 times!

February 20, 2014

Glam-it! at Web Wednesday Hong Kong (V82)

For our 82nd social mixer, we’re relocating to a smashing new venue, Club 18, Nos. 18-20 Lyndhurst Terrace in Central Hong Kong.  Here's a little tour that I posted to Instagram:



To add to the sparkle of this new nightclub, we’ve invited a multi-talented guest speaker, Jennifer Cheng, Founder and Chief Glam Girl at Glam-it!, to share her experience in building, promoting and selling internet ventures.



After graduating from Brown University, Jennifer started her career as an actress and model in the US. She moved to study an MBA at Hong Kong University of Technology, from where she became a passionate player in the world of internet technology and social media in Hong Kong.

She cut her teeth working with Darizi (大日子) and Rackspace and then leapt into the fast-paced world of online group buying, first with uBuyiBuy (a former guest at Web Wednesday), which via an acquisition became Groupon Hong Kong, and then as Vice President of BeeCrazy (蜂買) which was acquired by iBuy Group before listing on the Australian Stock Exchange.

Jennifer's current venture is Glam-it!, a beauty and fashion brand with the patent pending GlamPact available at Harvey Nichols and 6 countries via Luxola.com.

Jennifer’s expertise in the digital space was recognized and she was awarded the title of Most Promising Entrepreneur at the prestigious Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards 2011 in Hong Kong and the Woman Super Achiever Award at CMO Asia in 2012.

Doors open at 6:30pm with the interview starting at 7:15pm on Wednesday 26th February, 2014 at Club 18, 18-20 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, Hong Kong.

The entrance fee of HK$100 includes a complimentary drink and the opportunity to meet fellow entrepreneurs, social media types, investors, bloggers and digital media folk.

Sign up via Facebook or MeetUp to let us know you're coming and find out who else is going.

January 29, 2014

Podcast: Digital Marketing Predictions 2014

If you missed the last social mixer, "Digital Marketing Predictions 2014", you can listen to the podcast below hosted on our channel on SoundCloud (soundcloud.com/webweds). A shout out to Radio Chinwag for mastering the editing in a noisy bar environment with over 200 guests!

January 24, 2014

200 Guests, 4 Great Speakers Photos (WWV81)

What a great start to 2014! Our 81st social mixer to celebrate the launch of the Digital + Direct Marketing Association (www.ddma.asia) attracted over 200 guests! We had digital marketers from local and international brands, agencies, internet startups, MBA grads, bloggers and journalists, investors...That's what I call quality networking!

A big thank you to our panel of guest speakers: David Ketchum (@ketchum), Argha Sen (@goodfood65), Kate Scott (@kesabeth) and Stephanie Silvester (not on Twitter).

Here are some memorable predictions from each one:

“The offline and online worlds will need to come closer than ever before in 2014. The phrase 'omni-channel' is overused but there’s no doubt that the roles of brick and mortar stores, e-commerce and on- and offline promotion will change and increasingly blend together.” Argha Sen, Director, Omni-channel, Fung Retailing Group.

“Particularly in B2B we’re seeing continuing value in integrating online (particularly e-mail) and offline marketing, especially in the C Suite.  The volume of printed items received by CEOs/CFOs/CMOs is way down, so a well done piece can stand out. In 2014, our number one priority is creating great content.” Stephanie Silvester, Group Marketing Manager, Asia-Pacific at Verizon Business.

"We need to focus on building out a customer service team that can handle questions and complaints across all channels, be it Weibo, WeChat, Twitter, Facebook, hotline, email etc". Kate Scott, Senior Manager, Digital Marketing at Hong Kong CSL Limited.

 “2014 is when content and commerce will have to come together and show the business value of social media beyond the ‘fluffy stuff’.” Chairman of the Direct + Digital Marketing Association Asia.

Thank you also to the great team at Bisous, who are now looking for new jobs as the venue has been forced to close down at the end of this month. You're a truly professional team and have done us well.

Thanks also to our partners, Radio Chinwag, masters of sound and radio edutainment.

Spot yourself in the photos of our 81st social mixer Photos by Bronney.

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